Malta gets its first national arts awards

Which has been the best artistic production of the last year? For the first time, Malta will seek to find out, and honour the artists involved, as Arts Council Malta launches its first national awards scheme.

While several artistic sectors already hand out their own awards, the Premju Għall-Arti, officially launched today, will be the first such programme on a national level for all artistic disciplines.

“Until now, there has been a gap: we talk about encouraging excellence, but we had no way of marking excellence in the arts,” Arts Council Malta director of strategy Toni Attard said of the new awards.

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“This is a way for the sector to celebrate its successes and an opportunity to come together once a year. It is also a further step towards creating an ongoing conversation around artistic initiatives.”

The awards scheme will not be specific to different disciplines, so visual arts exhibitions may compete alongside theatre productions or digital games.

Moreover, Arts Council Malta’s “strategic goals” – such as collaboration and engagement with new audiences – will be considered alongside artistic excellence in determining the award winners.

Mr Attard added that the launch of the awards did not preclude other, more specific schemes by the public or private sector in the future.

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For the inaugural Premju Għall-Arti, eight awards will be handed out in different categories after an open call for nominations. These will then be whittled down to a shortlist of five by an expert jury.

Winners will be given a contemporary ceramic and glass sculpture made by Kane Cali.

The Premju Għall-Arti is the first such programme on a national level for all artistic disciplines. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

There will also be an Audience Choice Award selected by the general public from the shortlisted nominees, and two special awards – an Arts Ambassador and Lifetime Achievement Award – selected by the arts council.

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Addressing the launch, chairman Albert Marshall said the Arts Council Malta has spent years investing in “excellency”, and it was time to set benchmarks with which to reward artists for their performance.

Meanwhile, Culture Minister Owen Bonnici said the awards would continue to elevate the culture sector on Malta’s priority list. Culture was no longer “a hobby”, but had become an important economic niche, he added.

Nominations are open until October 27, with all original works presented in the last 12 months being eligible. Nominations can be submitted through the Arts Council Malta website.

The inaugural winners will be announced during an awards ceremony to be held in January 2018.

Premju Għall-Arti categories

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